To feel good about yourself and have a balanced life, taking care of yourself and your health is essential. Some participate in sports to maintain a healthy weight, but other people lack the strength, courage, or time to do so for various reasons.
An alternative way to live a healthy life is to adopt a healthy and balanced diet. But how do you go about it? Is a strict diet necessary for this? No, it is perfectly possible to maintain your figure by combining pleasure and food.
Increase your protein and fibre intake
Surprisingly, you don’t need to limit the number of meals you consume to be in shape. Instead, you can reduce your intake of carbohydrates, protein and fibre. Proteins play an essential role in muscle development, the renewal of bone matrix and the skin.
Fibre contributes to feelings of fullness and assists in the absorption of cholesterol and fat. Consuming more fibre will therefore help you to avoid snacking between meals and, at the same time, eliminate bad fats. In short, fibre allows you to stay in shape by reducing the urge to eat.
Change the ingredients in your meals
If you want to take this lifestyle a step further, you can change the ingredients you use in your meals. For one, you can choose healthy foods to cook. Making wise food choices can also assist you to maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of developing certain chronic (long-term) diseases.
You can replace your current oils with walnut oil or linseed oil when seasoning your salads and use olive oil for frying certain foods as long as you do not need too much heat. There are other healthier alternatives to cow’s milk for dairy products, like sheep’s milk or goat’s milk. You can also opt for plant-based mild such as soy milk, coconut milk or oat milk.
It is quite possible to maintain a good figure even without playing a sport. You just need to prioritise healthy foods that are high in protein and fibre and make sure you use healthy ingredients when you cook your meals.
In addition to these practices, you must remember to drink water (at least three litres per day) and avoid leading a sedentary life (prefer walking to public transport, prefer the stairs to the elevators, etc.). Everything is a matter of habit, and with willpower, you can make it happen!
